update from Mr Gatt on 30 September 2003
Update and Resolution:
I am pleased to announce that Merloni have replaced the appliance two weeks ago. However, this took a further 12 phone calls. I still await an apology for the six week delay and am disgusted with their service - never intending to buy a Merloni appliance again.

After several weeks of calls getting lost on the Merloni systems, addresses becoming substituted and contact numbers changed, I finally get told that subject to an engineer report I *may* be able to get a new machine.

The engineer cannot guarantee he can fix the machine as he cannot tell the extent of the damage caused by the last engineer, or even if it was fixed properly! He reports that an exchange machine be delivered when available.

I call Merloni customer service and their exchange centres requesting updates for two weeks and I am informed that it is being processed and that I will be called with a delivery date. This never happens. Eventually I request a supervisor call me with a full explanation.

A rude supervisor calls and informs me that I am not entitled to a new machine and that a repair will be made. I do not accept this as the engineer report says it is not possible to determine all faults. She says that an engineer cannot authorise a new appliance. I argue my point that Merloni would not swap the machine until an engineer had reported but she is adamant that only herself or Customer services can authorise a repair. (Cust serv. Cannot authorise a repair without an engineer! What kind of two-bit company is this?)

After 1/2 hour she gives in after I say that I will have the machine examined and if found unsafe at the fault of the engineer I will take legal action, as well as courier the machine to their MD.

Still a big thumbs down to Merloni. At the same time I would like to point out that they took the same amount of time to repair the Washer/Dryer (under extended guarantee) because the parts were not booked, the call was lost and the address *somehow* got changed on their system. No compensation and no apology. How awful. Thanks

============
Merloni had offered to investigate and respond to the consumers comments previously published here. In good faith we withdrew the postings, but unfortunately Merloni hasn't fulfilled its side as we never heard back with promised responses. The comments have been re published below.
Click here to read the text of Merloni Letter

Editor
4 August 2004

I own a 2 and a half year old Indesit washing machine which has been used lightly and occasionally. A few weeks ago it started to make a loud whining noise which got progressively worse until on the last wash oil was spattered all over the washing from inside the machine. i wrote twice and emailed twice merloni asking them to offer me some asistance but i have never had the courtesy of any reply from them. I find this totally unacceptable that they can sell you a machine and then when it goes wrong after such a short time, they refuse to even acknowledge your complaint let along offer any help. What sort of organisation are we dealing with here? Stuart BIRD ... 14 June 2004
--------------------------------------------------



I bought my indesit washing machine just over two years ago and already the the programmer has broken. This is a very expensive part and i feel hard done by. You do not expext to pay over 200 pounds for a machine to last so little time. Sandie Nicol .. 21 November 2003
--------------------------------------------------
We bought a new indesit washer/dryer from powerhouse in walsall last december. Within 1 month we found that the machine was not washing nor thoroughly drying the clothes. we contacted powerhouse who pointed us to merloni our guarantor!!! What an absolute farce was about to unfold..

We were told an engineer would call to assess the problem but not time could be given. We waited and finally at 5.30pm called merloni to be informed that an engineer had called earlier (rubbish we were in all day). When we asked where he had called they gave us our old address even though the goods had never been delivered to this address in the first place (we moved house and had the goods delivered directly to our new address).

Anyway, this could perhaps be forgiven or so we thought. We booked a new call... same problems with no time etc and stated our correct address... yet again the engineer went to our old address, and found no one there.

Contacted again this time insisted on speaking to someone who had a brain, and arranged a further call. The engineer called 1/2 hour before arriving to give me chance to come back from work, and duly explained that the machine is a self-diagnoser and is so sensitive that even the slightest fault will prevent the machine from working. As the machine was working he concluded that the machine was perfect and operating as per the manufacturers operating limits.

When we next contacted merloni about this (5 mins after engineer left) we were informed by a very arrogant young man that we were being foolish to expect the tumble dryer to dry our clothes completely because no tumble dryer can do this!!!! Oh really, our old separate vented tumble dryer could do the job in no time, but it takes our sensitive high-spec unit 5 hours to wash and partially dry our clothes???? I stated that this had been a concern that had been expressed at the time opf purchase, but that the sales assistant had clearly stated that "!what with the technology available nowadays, these machine work just as well as separates". We were then informed that this was clearly an issue to take up with powerhouse as we had been "mis-sold" this item.

Powerhouse dont want to know and tried to fob us back onto merloni, who wont do a thing about it because the engineer continues to maintain that the unit is working within manufacturer's limits.

This leave sme only conclude that merloni dont actually manuifacturer units that can suitably wash your clothes clean and then subsequently dry them for you so perhaps the term "washer/dryer" is a paradox? Maybe trading standards need to get involved - that's our next stop!
Gary Watson ... 28 November 2003
---------------------------------------------
21/11/03 i phone merloni for a pump for my indesit washing machine at a price of 48pounds, they say it will take 4-7 days. when i phone back on the 1/12/03 to enquire where it is they told me i only ordered it on the 28/11/03, so it will be another 4-7 days. this prompted me to go elsewhere and after going through the yellow pages i found a local dealer who could get me one for 20pounds the same day which i accepted. i phone merloni back (finally getting through after listening to music for half an hour)to cancel my pump which they say wouldn"t be a problem, they hadn"t taken the payment from my visa card yet.

5/12//03 postman arrives with pump which i had cancelled, after another phone call they said they would send me a returns envelope for which i am still waiting, no refund either (yet). may be continued.
PAUL JORDAN .. 8 December 2003